海角视频

In this specialist Q&A, we interview computational engineering expert and bridge engineer Peter Nugent.

Joining 海角视频 in 2015 as a graduate, he is now a charted engineer and avid contributor to the . Peter discusses his career journey, how digital tools improve structural design, and the versatility of computation.

What is your current role, and did you have any coding experience prior to joining 海角视频?

I鈥檓 a Senior Computational Bridge Engineer working within the bridge engineering and civil structures team that’s part of the Cities Group. A portion of my time is spent designing bridges and leading projects, the other is spent developing computational tools and integrating them into our workflows.

Before joining 海角视频, I had very little coding experience. Most of my understanding was learnt using 鈥� a numerical programming language 鈥� whilst studying civil engineering at university.

What advice would you give to engineers鈥� keen to learn more about computation?

Once you鈥檝e learnt the basics, pick a small task that you want to automate or solve digitally and try it. You鈥檒l learn so much more by trying to develop something independently as opposed to following guided tutorials. This is true if you鈥檙e learning visual programming languages such as , or object programming languages such as or .

Whilst it鈥檚 tempting to develop complex algorithms, I found that developing tools that were small in scope, but that were relevant to me and that I could use, kept me motivated. As you develop these small projects, you鈥檒l find yourself thinking about what you can add, and how it can be expanded and improved.

What are some of the challenges you faced?

It can seem daunting at first, particularly with so many programming languages, so many different software packages and a seemingly infinite scope of what to do. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 important to identify the challenges you want to address and then set a reasonable scope for what you want to achieve.

Keeping up to date and informed with what others are doing in the industry is also very important. Also, don鈥檛 be afraid to stand on the shoulders of others. There are numerous different open source projects ( and ) and free plugins (Design Space Exploration and Human) that have been developed. You don鈥檛 need to reinvent the wheel.

Are these tools only relevant at the early design stages when designs are progressing quickly?

Not at all. In fact, the precise nature of information at the detailed design and construction stages makes it a perfect candidate for automation. You can reduce the risk of human error and handle large amounts of information with ease.

At 海角视频, we have been able to find uses of parametricism and the BHoM from the early competition stages right through to construction. Folkestone Harbour in Kent is an example of a project where we used survey data and visual programming to solve a 3D geometrical problem.

What is an overlooked aspect of integrating computational tools in structural engineering?

Knowledge sharing. Often the engineers winning work and submitting fee proposals are different to those exploiting these digital tools. Therefore, it鈥檚 so important that individuals routinely present new developments to their team, company and the wider industry. Otherwise, the knowledge gained can become siloed.

At 海角视频, the approach is that everyone from graduates to Partners needs to learn a basic level of understanding of computational competency. I鈥檝e found that most people are generally very receptive to embracing computation, as long as you can demonstrate the digital tools to them.

For example, showing how quickly your structural analysis model can adapt to changes from the architect, or how easy it is to transfer data from one software to another using the BHoM. This is despite the construction industry having a poor track record for adopting digital workflows.

Do you have an example where you鈥檝e used computational tools on a live project?

Folkstone Harbour is a great example. We used parametricism to solve a 3D geometrical problem during construction. The contractors installed glazing on several canopy roof structures. However, during installation, they realised that the quadrilateral glazing panels wouldn鈥檛 fit in the corners, and as a consequence, would need to be warped. This is incredibly expensive.

As the structural engineers on the project, we realised the problem could be solved with triangulation. By using the survey data from the contractor as well as some parametric scripting, we were able to produce a script that satisfied the key constraints of the project, which were:

• The planar glazing panels could be cut from standard size (i.e., the width wasn鈥檛 too large)
• The offset from the steelwork to the glazing should be constant
• The angle of the glazing panels should be large enough so they could positively drain.

In order to allow a seamless installation on site, we provided design sketches of both the setting out points and their offsets from the installed steelwork. Our solution also maintained the architectural intent of this historic regeneration project.

The construction industry is starting to embrace digitisation. How has computation improved your design skills or changed your outlook as an engineer?

The use of computation has meant that I save a huge amount of time by automating the creation of analysis models. As a result, I can spend more time doing the actual design. With bridge design in particular, the devil is in the detail. You can have an optimised bridge, but if the details aren’t considered, then it鈥檚 going to be difficult to fabricate and construct, leading to issues later in the project.

The adoption of computation and automation is still relatively new within the construction industry. There’s a huge amount of scope for new tools and developments, building upon what we’ve already discussed.

For instance, we haven鈥檛 even touched on machine learning, virtual reality, digital twins or the climate emergency! It鈥檚 an exciting time to be a bridge engineer. We have the potential to make a lasting impact on how our industry approaches design.